Name of the Project
RFI – green hydrogen projects.

Location
South Africa.

Project Owner/s
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Meridian Economics, on behalf of KfW Development Bank (KfW).

Project Description
South Africa’s rich endowment of renewable-energy resources, strong existing technical and financial capabilities, and access to platinum-group metals places the country in a favourable position to develop a thriving, globally competitive green hydrogen market.

KfW has launched a concessional financing initiative to catalyse the development of a green hydrogen economy in the country.

The RFI process is aimed at soliciting information from various project opportunities from a wide range of networks, which may include:

new projects by developers for the production, transportation, export and/or storage of green hydrogen and/or green hydrogen products.

projects in existing value chains that support the transition of fossil-based processes to green hydrogen, for example, in heavy industries, chemicals and transport.

offerings from financial institutions, such as innovative financial instruments or funded subsidy mechanisms, for stimulating the competitiveness of green hydrogen in the South African market.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Up to €200-million in concessional financing will be made available by KfW on behalf of the German government to be allocated across a suite of selected projects. Preference will be given to projects that are at least in the prefeasibility stage, owing to tight funding disbursement timelines.

KfW has set an indicative target date of end-2023 for the disbursement of funds, which will be channelled through a South African public institution.

Planned Start/End Date
Responses to the RFI are to be submitted by  July 30, 2021, whereafter projects will be evaluated and bilateral engagements with potential projects undertaken.

KfW aims to select promising projects in August and conclude final contracting by year-end so that implementation can begin by mid-2022.

Latest Developments
Further information about the RFI can be accessed on the CSIR portal: https://www.csir.co.za/sites/default/files/Documents/Green-hydrogen-RFI-2021.pdf

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Submissions should be emailed to the CSIR, email hydrogenproject@csir.co.za.